Sign.



'NO. 786,550. PATENTED APR. 4, 1905. F. w. DONNELLY & W. J. SMITH.

T. DONNELLY, ADMINISTRATOR OF I. W DONNELLY, DEOD.

SIGN. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 4, 1904.

WITNESSES: I IVVENTORS 4MmA mum, s, My 9M G Mf /gm Y PATENTED APR. 4. 1905. Y & W. J. SMITH.

1?. W. DONN ELL NELLY, ADMINISTRATOR OF I. W. DONNELLY, DEOD SIGN. APPLIOATIONIILED APR. 4, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I/E/VTORS a Q. 3M

ATTORNEY No. 786,550. Patented April 4, 1905.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

FREDERICK W. DONNELLY AND WILLIAM J. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; SAID SMITH ASSIGNOR TO THOMAS DONNELLY; THOMAS DONNELLY ADMINISTRATOR OF FREDERICK W. DONNELLY, DECEASED.

SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,550, dated April 4, 1905.

Applicatioirfiled April 4, 1904:. Serial No. 201,609.

To whom it y 601%067! cross-section of Fig. 6 on the line 3 3. Fig.

Be it known that we, FREDERICK W. DoN- 8 shows a modification in the shape of our 5 NELLY, aresident of71 East Fifty-ninth street, border or frame and the letter. Fig. 9 is a and WILLIAM J. SMITH, a resident of 217 West cross-section of Fig. 8 on the line 1 4. Fig. 5 One Hundred and Forty-second street, New 10 shows another form of letter, the interior York, in the county of New York and State field being spaced from the walls of the letter. of New York, citizens of the United States, Fig. 11 is a cross-section of Fig. 10 on the have invented certain new and useful Imline 5 5. provements in Signs, of which the following A represents a sign-board or other support 10 is a specification. in connection with which letters or other sym- Our invention relates to signs and symbols bols B are to be employed and displayed. An capable of illumination from within or behind. opening 10 is made in the sign-board or sup- The objects of the invention are to provide port for displaying each letter or character a sign capable of illumination by night and making up the sign. Each opening 10 is of 15 which can be readily seen-and understood by greater area than the area of the letter it is day and to so locate the letters on the signadapted to receive, it being understood that board or other support that the sign can be the aforesaid openings are of the same conread with both facility and clearness when aptour as the symbols adapted to be placed in proached at an angle or when directly apthem, so that a space is provided between a 20 proached. symboland the inner wall of the opening in A further object of the invention is to prowhich the symbol is placed, through which vide a means whereby a sign of the character space the rays of light from a means of illudescribed may be constructed rapidly and in mination located at the back of the sign-board a simple, durable, and economic manner, and may pass outward, thus providing an illumi- 25 so that any manner of light may be employed. nated outline of the whole symbol which is We attain these objects in the construction within the opening, which symbol is espeillustrated in the drawings and described and cially designed to be read by day. The let- 7 5 claimed hereinafter. ters are held in suspension in the aforesaid Like characters of reference refer to like openings 10 In any approved manneras, for 0 parts throughout the respective views. example, by metal plates 11, (shown In Figs.

, Figure 1 is afront elevation of a portion of 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9,) which plates are soa sign illustrating the application thereto of cured to the back faces of the letters, extenda single letter. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ing across the spaces between the letters and taken practically on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. the inner walls of the openings in which the 35 Fig. 3 is a section similar to that shown in letters are held, or by wires or other secur- Fig. 2, illustrating the application of a letter ing means. The ends of the said plates or having a slightly-different front face from wires 11 are secured in any suitable or apthat shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front eleproved manner to the sign board or support vation of a portion of a sign carrying out A. Preferably the said attaching or fasten- 40 the invention and illustrating a construction ing plates 11 are made as thin as possible which admits of the letters being placed diwhere they cross the spaces between the walls rectly upon the front face of the sign board of the openings and the adjacent margins of or support. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section the letters, as is clearly shown at 12 in Figs. taken practically on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

45 6 is an elevation showing another form of The letters B may be made of any suitable letter in which the border or frame is pmitted or approved material. Preferably an opaque and the interior field is shown spaced from material is employedfor example, wood the interior outline of the letter. Fig. 7 is a and the letters are made of such thickness that they extend a suitable distance beyond the front face of the sign-board or support A. In Fig. 2 the letters are illustrated as having a flat outer or front face 13, and their margins at the front face are chamfered, (though this is not necessary) as is shown 211214111 said Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the letters B are illustrated as being provided with convexed outer faces 15, and in connection with the support or sign- -board A, no matter what the character of the letter may be, we preferably employ a border 16, which is secured to the face of the signboard or support A, and the inner face of the border is preferably flush with or forms the walls of the opening 10, in which a letter is placed. The front or outer face of the said border 16 is inclined from the outer face of the sign-board or support A upwardly in direction of the opening, which the border may surround, or it may be a thin strip, as appears in Figs. 8 and 9. The border 16 need not extend outward as far as the outer face of the letter in the opening surrounded by the border. In fact, the outer face of the border at its thickest portion preferably terminates short of the chamfered edges 14 of the flat letter shown in Fig. 2 and short of the convexed outer face 15 of the letter shown in Fig. 3. As will be seen on reference to Figs. 6 and 7, we may omit the border or frame 16 entirely, thus leaving merely a space 10 between the letter B and the edges of the field A, the function of the border not being essential, but advisable in the embodiment of our invention, the essence of which is the space or aperture outlined symbol and the securing a symbol of smaller size in the opening in the field. Under such construction it is obvious that the letter may be read clearly when the sign is approached at an angle and need not necessarily be approached directly, as the light will indicate the outline of a letter by night and the forward edges of the letter will give its outline by day, as the sides and ends or marginal portions of the letters are preferably painted white, so as to accurately define the outline of the letters by day and to facilitate the light penetrating the space surrounding the letters and render visible the outlines of the letters by night.

In Fig. 4 the same principle is carried out as has been illustrated in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; but the letters B are cemented or otherwise secured directly to the outer face of the sign-board or support A; but previously to placing the letters on the board a series of apertures 17 is produced in the sign-board or support, placed as closely as possible consistent with strength, and the arrangement of the apertures corresponds to the outlines of the letters to be placed practically over them. hen a letter is placed in position on a sign-board or support A thus apertured, a portion of the margin of the letter extends over the apertures 17, as is best shown in Fig. 5, and the border 16, heretofore described, which is also, preferably, employed and is attached to the outer face of the sign-board or support, also extends partially over the apertures 17, so that a space is provided between the border 16 and the margin of a letter which it surrounds, which space-corresponds to the space shown in the construction illustrated in the other views. This space is rendered more or less continuous for the passage of light, the passage of light being interrupted only by the narrow partitions between the apertures, so that practically the same result is obtained when a letter is applied in the manner shown in Figs. 4 and 5 as when a suspended letter is used, as is indicated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

It will be understood that we do not limit ourselves to any special form of letter or figure, but include any symbolor representation, nor do we limit ourselves to any means of securing the letter to the field, as by plates, as we may and sometimes douse wires soldered or otherwise secured to the symbol and field. Equally we do not. limit ourselvesto a receptacle, though we often preferably place the illuminant in one, one or more of the faces of which constitute the face or field of the sign, and where we use the singular, as a symbol or an opening, we also include the plural, as symbols or openings, the latter being a difference only in number or quantity and not affecting the principle of our invention, which applies equally to one or more.

WVhere We have used the words lateral sectional area in the claims we mean the area of a section taken in a plane parallel with the front face of the sign.

Havingv thus described our invention, weelaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a sign, a support having openings, letters carried by the said support within said openings, the sides of the letters being parallel with the walls of the opening and spaced apart therefrom, and. borders carried by the said support along the outer marginal portions of the said openings, the openings and borders forming as it were margins for the letters.

2. In asign, a board orsupport having openings in the form of letters extending through said board or support, the walls of said openings being atright angles to the rear face of the support, borders secured to the outer face of the board or support around said openings, the inner walls of the borders being in alinement with the walls of the openings and forming continuations thereof, and letters corresponding in shape to the form of the openings but of less dimensions and carried by the board or support within said openings, the edge walls of the letters being parallel with the walls of the openings, the rear faces of the letters being flush with the rear face of the support and the front faces of the letters projecting forwardly in advance of the front face of the support and also of the borders surrounding the openings in the support.

3. In a sign, a board or support having an opening therein corresponding to the form of a given letter, the walls of the opening being at a right angle to the face of the support, a letter conforming to the opening and suspended therein, with its rear face flush with the rear face of the support, the letter being of less area than the area of the opening, thereby providing a space between the margins of the letters proper and the walls of the opening, the edge walls of the letter being parallel with the adjacent walls of the opening,and sustaining devices for the letter as set forth.

4:. In a sign, a board or support having an opening therein of corresponding shape to a given letter, a letter fitted to the said opening, yet of less dimensions than said opening, whereby a space is provided between the letter and the walls of the opening, the letter projecting outward beyond the front face of the said board or support, means for holding the said letter in suspension in the said opening, and a border extending around the opening at the outer face of the board or support, which border has its outer or front face inclined outward from the board or support in direction of the said letter, the outer face of the letter extending beyond the edge portion of the border adjacent to the space surrounding the letter, as described.

5. In a sign, a board or support having an opening therein corresponding in shape to a given letter, a letter fitted to the said opening yet of less dimensions than said opening, whereby a space is provided between the letter and the walls of the opening, the letter projecting outward beyond the front face of the said board or support, means for holding the said letter in suspension in the said opening, and a border extending around the opening at the outer face of the board or support, which border has its outer or front face inclined outward from the board or support in direction of the said letter, the outer face of the letter extending beyond the edge portion of the border adjacent to the space surrounding the letter, the said letter being provided with chamfered edges at its front face, and provided with a marginal coating of a white material, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a sign, a support having openings, letters carried by the said support, the sides of the letters being parallel with the sides of the openings, and borders carried by said support, said borders surrounding the letters and spaced apart therefrom on all sides to form an unbroken space between said letters and their borders, the letters projecting outwardly beyond the borders.

7. In a sign, a support adapted to have a light at one side thereof, a letter carried upon the support, and a frame surrounding said letter and spaced therefrom, a part of said support being cut away to permit light to shine through the support between said frame and said letter.

8. In a sign, a field having an opening of substantially the outlines of a symbol, and a symbol whose lateral sectional area is everywhere less than the area of the openingsecured therein, and spaced at all points apart from the walls of the opening, substantially as described.

9. Ina sign. a field having an opening of substantially the outlines of asymbol, asymbol whose lateral sectional area is everywhere less than the area of the opening secured therein, and spaced at all points apart from the walls of the opening, the interior field of said symbol being smaller than the interior outline of the symbol and spaced therefrom, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 1st day of April, A. I). 1904.

FREDERICK WV. DONNELLY. \VILLIAM J. SMITH.

Witnesses:

EVA S. IVIMPFHEIMER, ANNA R. BENNETT. 

